Triumph Daytona 600

"A day late, and a pound note short." That was the verdict in an American bike magazine when Triumph released the TT600 three years ago. Never mind that the British marque's daring had resulted in the first volume-production fuel-injected 600cc four-cylinder sportsbike, nor that the TT600's handling and chassis manners were equal to the best that Japan had produced.

Underpowered, understyled and ultimately underdeveloped injection-wise, the TT600 left the start line a bike length behind its Japanese competition. In spite of a retuned engine management system, it never quite succeeded in closing the gap.

Now, with the introduction of the sharply-styled Daytona 600, Triumph aims to put all that behind it. With an essentially all-new, more aggressive looking and definitely more focused 600 Supersport contender, it's aiming for success in the showroom as well as on the racetrack.

For the first time since John Bloor re-launched the world's oldest existing bike marque in 1990, there's an official works team - Valmoto Triumph, consisting of TT-winner and former British Supersport champion Jim Moodie and teen star Craig Jones in this season's British Supersport Championship. That's a precursor to racing in World Supersport in 2004.

The Daytona 600 is a bold gamble for the British company. But fully recovered from the huge fire one year ago, it now boasts arguably the most sophisticated and efficient motorcycle production facility in the world, and it's ready to go.

JAPANESE OFFERING?
Read the Daytona 600's spec sheet and you could be looking at a "Made in Japan" product. That's certainly the case pricewise, with the new Triumph listed at an extremely competitive $14,490, against $15,190 for the equally new Kawasaki ZX-6R and the CBR600RR Honda, and $14,999 for the 2003 R6 Yamaha, which has caught up with Triumph's lead by adopting EFI. But it also relates to the performance and riding pleasure, as a day both on road and track aboard the Daytona in southern Spain proved.

When I first rode the TT600 three years ago it delivered a sense of sophistication and added refinement that had been missing from the 600 Supersport class, even if the new bike fell short in other areas. But in that sense the Triumph was the forerunner of the new generation of 600 Supersport bikes, arguably setting the parameters for the world's most important sportsbike sector.

RAISING THE STAKES
The Japanese have spent the past three years raising the technical stakes on each other - and Triumph. But the Daytona 600 ensures Triumph has a place at the table once more, with a more complete middleweight than the TT600 ever was.

In spite of the lineage, there's no real comparison between the two in rideability or engine performance. But the new model has inherited excellent handling from the old in spite of being built on an all-new chassis.

The Daytona 600's liquid-cooled four-cylinder in-line engine doesn't have the balance shafts of Triumph's larger fours, but it's smooth. It also has an appetite for revs which lets you know it's the shortest-stroke 600 in the showroom.

The Keihin EFI delivers the precise response at any revs that you expect from a properly mapped, top-line injection system - no jerky pick-up low down off a closed throttle, no TT600-type limp-wristedness at low rpm.

Riding the bike at Triumph's Cartagena test track, I made the mistake at first of using a gear too low in tighter turns, screaming the engine near its indicated 14,500rpm rev-limiter (actually 13,750 rpm). I was trying to slash lap times, using peak power for better drive out of the turns on the outstanding Pirelli Diablo Corsa rubber.

WHEN THE MOOD HITS...
It was the first time I'd ridden with these new tyres, and I can honestly say I didn't get a single slide in 50 laps of the tortuous circuit. The rear hooked up brilliantly, with a lot of feedback letting me play the throttle to keep the Daytona in line. The grippy front let me hold a lot of corner speed too. Outstanding, and an excellent choice for the new Triumph.

However, a master class from factory team lead rider Jim Moodie resulted in a new approach to riding the Daytona.

"I did exactly the same as you when I first started riding the bike here," said Jim. "I was using bottom gear three times a lap, and wishing we had a smaller engine sprocket, but then I persuaded myself to use one gear higher almost everywhere. Because the engine has such great midrange power and pulls so well from low down, I actually went faster as a result. Try it - you will too!"

Guess what - he was right!

The Daytona's throttle response at low revs is everything the TT600's wasn't. I proved it that afternoon on a great 200km road ride along the Mediterranean coast in company with Triumph tester David Lopez. He deserves some of the credit for developing the Daytona 600 into the enjoyable track tool-cum-street sweeper it undoubtedly is.

Exiting a town or village, or scooting out of a tight mountain hairpin, the Triumph pulled cleanly practically from idle. Only slight slipping of the notably light-action clutch is needed to get going, no hole in the powerband followed by sudden pick-up as with the TT600.

From 4000rpm up it pulled smoothly, coming alive at 6500rpm from where there's a linear build of power to the 10,500rpm mark. There, the engine note hardens and it picks up extra speed over the next 3000 revs.

Peak power of 112ps may be delivered at 12,750rpm, but there's no sudden drop-off over that - the 16-valve engine keeps going strong. Indeed, the Valmoto Triumph team runs the engine to 15,500rpm - with stock engine internals under British Supersport rules, remember.

POOR CHANGE
The gearchange is a little disappointing - on two of the bikes I tried it felt notchy and stiff. A third was better, though still a little harsh. Not up to Japanese levels on the basis of this test, though maybe with more mileage it might loosen up.

Ratios are well chosen, though, with fifth and top gear quite close together, so I could knock it back a cog to keep it revving in five figures if I got to a hill at high speed.

I had a hard time convincing myself the Triumph doesn't have a slipper clutch - I could use a lot of engine braking, with the engine revving sky-high on the overrun and not a sign of rear wheel chatter. Amazing!

There's real go in the Daytona 600's rev range, but enough extra kick above 10,500rpm that you'll want to operate in that zone if you're going for it. But don't forget Moodie's advice to use a gear higher and ride the torque curve - in spite of the short stroke it's impressive by 600 Supersport standards.

Really, the Daytona 600 feels almost as strong as a 750 in terms of drive and grunt, a tribute as much to Keihin's work on the engine management system as anything. The Triumph feels responsive but controllable, with super-clean engine mapping that adds to the sense of refinement and sharpness. This is a bike for real-world riding.

While the Daytona 600 has genuine racetrack potential, it's equally impressive as an everyday streetbike. That rev-hungry engine is tractable in traffic. The riding position is comfortable and spacious by Supersport standards. A slightly higher seat than before, with lower footrests than an R6, meant my knees slotted smoothly into the flanks of the fuel tank. The fact the clip-ons are slightly lower than previously didn't impact on my riding comfort - I survived my high-speed, high-mileage chase along the coast without sore shoulders or weary wrists.

The passenger seat is stepped and, as Moodie and Jones proved by joining our road ride on one bike, adequately comfy!

BALANCED PERFORMER
Dynamically, there's a very balanced feel to the bike as a whole. Turn-in is good, and the short 1390mm wheelbase delivers quick steering. The Kayaba rear suspension and 43mm cartridge forks are pretty compliant over every kind of surface, working with the Pirellis to give a high level of grip and corner speed through the demanding Cartagena turns.

Ride quality is excellent for a sportsbike, as I discovered along a particularly ratty piece of Spanish tarmac. The Daytona's sweet-steering chassis is adept at eating up bumps while leaned, providing good stability 'round bumpy turns - no steering damper isn't an issue.

Accelerating hard, leaned well over, exiting an uphill right hander in the Cartagena infield popped the front wheel up every lap. The 'bars flicked just once, before the chassis settled down and resumed normal service.

It was also stable while standing on the brakes from high speed, like braking at the 100-metre board flat out in fifth gear down the Cartagena pit straight. The Triumph held line so well I could pick a millimetre-perfect path for the double-apex second-gear right-hander I was stopping for.

The twin 308mm Sunstar discs, with four-pot Nissin calipers, are fantastic, with lots of bite but not too aggressive a response. No wonder Valmoto opted to keep the stock discs for racing - they deliver all-out stopping power as well as a degree of sensitivity. Benchmark stuff.

HEAD TO HEAD
Smooth, fast, stable, satisfying. The debut of Triumph's new 600cc Supersport model is the first time the British company has truly gone head to head with Japan, and this is in the mainstream market.

Until now, Triumph has concentrated on building bikes for niches - Bonneville, Sprint, Tiger, Speed Triple - or competing with a slightly quirky product incapable of direct comparison, like the 955i Daytona or 1200 Trophy.

In Supersport, Triumph has stood up to be counted on equal terms, with the same in-line four-cylinder 600cc format as its rivals, inviting direct comparison by customers around the world. The TT600 failed that test, but the Daytona 600 will not.

This is the big time, and the stakes are high. Triumph is in the major league against high-tech hardware like the Honda CBR600RR. In an ultra-demanding market, styling as well as performance must be leading-edge, and everyday excellence has to be backed up by race success.

We'll find out how well it does when we ride the Daytona 600 back-to-back with its rivals (it arrives in Oz in late May). But from first impressions, I have to say you don't need a Union Jack on your helmet to believe the Daytona is a genuine contender.